Balancer recommendation

C

cyberhorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 February 2008
Messages
1,276
Location
Westmorland
Visit site
Hi, following advice from Edinburgh Vets School via my vet. I need to find a balancer that either has no selenium or is very low in selenium. It has been identified as the culprit in poor hoof quality. He was on blue chip pro, and is now on Formula 4 feet temporarily as it is selenium free. Excluding the selenium has worked to improve his hoof condition so I don't want to risk putting the pro back, but his coat is now looking dull. I would add micronised linseed but he is on a diet so don't want the extra calories.
 
Unusual that you have too much selenium - did you do a grazing analysis to find the cause? Poor hoof quality is more often caused by too little copper and zinc. Excesses in selenium are toxic, and would have more noticable symptoms than just poor hoof quality :confused:.

I'm not surprised that hooves improved as a result of switching from blue chip to formula4feet, however.
 
chrisritch said:
Farriers Formula Double Concentrate

http://www.stromsholm.co.uk/farriers-formula-double-concentrate-by-life-data-labs-5kg-pail-59-p.asp

You will be amazed at the difference; The Life Data Labs website has alot of useful information too!
http://www.lifedatalabs.co.uk/index.php?lang=uk
Click to expand...

Thanks, will look at that and compare to what he is on now.

TwoStroke: It is a Prof. at Edinburgh vets school who specialises in hoof disorders that feels the levels of selenium in feeds and balancers are far too high for UK horses. Although overdose as you say causes a lot of serious issues, she believes levels being a little high in a sensitive horse can show in the hoof and give you an uphill battle to maintain quality even when all other levels are OK. When I looked into it closely the feed company had added selenium to the feed even though they recommended to me to feed with a balancer so he was effectively on double. His other levels for minerals and biotin etc...on the feed analysis were thought to be more than suffcient. It was only felt that we could increase the calcium:phospate ratio from the mid range to the top end of the normal range by adding a little Alf Alfa as the feeds contain it in a form that is not always absorbed so well in the hindgut.
 
Horses get the vast majority of their minerals from forage, though, not feed, and it doesn't sound like this professor is taking into account the mineral profile of your forage. Calcium is usually high anyway and shouldn't need supplementing - doing so is more likely to damage hooves than improve them ime. Phosphorus usually needs supplementing, as does magnesium.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top